Return to Dust
by Mayofish
Summary: They said the Dark Portal was turning red and every draenei just wants to see their home as it once was. But for Ottari there are answers that she was never meant to find.


_In every headline, we are reminded that this is not home, for us..._

_-Where is Home? By Bloc Party_

They said the Dark Portal was turning red and Ottari just wants to see her home as it once was.

**Warlords of Draenor Arc – 1/?**

Ottari was too young to remember Draenor in what was its glory. She only knows stories of its beauty and Oene would always speak of it like it was a dead friend. Ottari does, however, remember the crash and the rubble that cradled her mother's body. She remembers the blood and Oene covering her eyes as she grabbed her shoulder and pulled her away from the crash.

The holy light illuminated the picture of death and elder turned to Oene angrily, _"Get the child away from here! She does not need to see this!"_

They tried so hard to save everyone. Every priest and paladin and shaman used their strongest spells until they fell to their knees in exhaustion. There were many deaths that day and many wondered if they would have fared better against the Burning Legion and the orcs back in Outlands. The Elders snapped at any such notions, but the air was heavy with doubt.

Many young draenei were left as orphans that day, their parents taken by the crash. The young survived though — they were stronger, and the Naaru was with them.

Among the orphaned, were Ottari and Oene.

Their mother's name was Juutu and she died that day. It hurts them both to this day and it is her death that pushed Ottari from healing. Even the best healers couldn't save her mother and it was then that Ottari realized that healing was useless. If even the best could not save her mother, then what was the point of learning? You couldn't change things, everything — every death and birth — was set in stone.

But at the same time, Juutu was a Broken, pained by the fel energies every moment of her life. Even away from Draenor, she could feel it die, feel it being ripped apart. It was a mercy killing.

Ottari wishes with every waking breath she could see her home back when it was Draenor, not the shadow of it that is Outlands. Oene tells her the past is better off forgotten and the memories of the beauty haunt her eyes. Oene would not wish the pain of remembering, of living through the fall of Draenor, on anyone. It was a lost battle after all, it was a failure.

"Azeroth was home now, was it not?" Oene asks Ottari many times and Ottari never answers. Ottari wants to find a home but she does not know what she is looking for.

Oene left without a word, only a letter. Ottari was used to letters and she was used to secrets.

Oene left after Garrosh's trial date was gone and passed and not a soul, not even Gao, would tell Ottari what actually happened that day. But the air was tense.

It was after Oene had packed her bags and more supplies that she boarded the ship to Stormwind. It was then that Ottari found the letter. It was not addressed to her, but rather to Oene, yet it was left out as if the monk was meant to find it.

The Dark Portal was changing and Ottari knew then what it meant, but it was Gao who seemed to know before her. He found her packing her own bags.

"You are going after your sister?" he asked, because he already knew what had happened at the Trial and he already knew about the Portal. He respected Oene's request to let Ottari find out on her own. This was between sisters, between draenei.

"It's our home. We're going home."

_(-To the home she didn't remember, the old home, the _real _home.)_

The pandaren nodded as if in thought and then said, "You helped me protect my land; it would be an honor to fight for yours," he put his paws together and bowed. It was then that Ottari knew why she loved him.

"I nearly lost you to Garrosh once before! Do you really think I will allow you to follow us through the Portal?" Oene hissed in their native tongue and behind her, the Dark Portal flickered and danced in a terrifying new color. Ottari swore she could almost remember then, but instead flashes of the crash plagued her mind.

"It's my home too and I'll be damned if I don't help protect it!"

Oene's eyes flashed and her shoulders fell. Her little sister was not as naïve as she once was. This was not Icecrown, Oene could not ask her to sit out the wars out any longer. Ottari had seen the blood of wars, and felt the loss of loved ones. Ottari was strong. But on the other side of this portal, everything was different and Oene knew that on the other side of the Portal, there were answers to the questions Ottari had — the answers Oene never wanted her to find. She unballed her fists and stepped aside.


End file.
